Residents have won their battle to stop more mobile phone dishes being added to a site in Hove.

More than 100 people signed a petition against Vodafone's plans to add two dishes to the top of the old Saxon Works building in Olive Road.

They are celebrating after Brighton and Hove city councillors rejected the plans.

Former councillor Mark Barnard led the campaign against the new telecom equipment.

He sent individual letters to planning committee councillors appealing to them to throw the application out.

He also presented a petition containing 115 signatures to be considered by the planning committee before it met on Wednesday.

Mr Barnard, of Bolsover Road, said: "There were already eight dishes and antennae on the building. Everyone decided it was time to say enough is enough. There is no need for any more on that site.

"This is a fantastic result and it shows people can achieve victory against big companies like Vodafone.

"Apart from the dishes and antennae being unsightly, residents were fearful about the concentration of radiation from them being so close to their homes.

"They were not convinced by assurances from the company that additional dishes would not present a health risk.

"The Stewart Report into the effects of phone masts on health said they had to be treated with caution.

"I still believe we will not see the dangers of allowing these things until some time in the future."

The Vodafone application did not need planning permission because the site is not in a conservation area.

Mobile phone companies are only required to inform councils about new equipment so they can decide if there are any planning reasons for an objection.

A Vodafone spokeswoman said the dishes were needed to provide links between base stations to feed calls into the main network.

She said signals are transmitted in pencil-thin beams which are very low-powered and did not have any significant fall-out in the surrounding area.

A council spokeswoman said the dishes were refused because they would affect the look of the area.

She said: "The accumulative effect of this equipment when viewed in concert with the existing mast would be detrimental to the amenity of the area."